Red and Blue with a Touch of White
by Peechy-Keen
Summary: Brothers disagree. Brothers fight. Yet, through it all, they're still family. After a heated argument, what will it take to make Leo and Raph realize this? There is NO SLASH in this, just loving devotion between the Hamato brothers.


**Author's Note:**

** Hey all! I was looking at my calendar a few days ago, and when I saw 9/11 coming up, I felt inspired to write this. After all, living in New York City, the boys must have been deeply affected by the attack. I hope everyone enjoys this humble one-shot, and I pray that you will never forget to live for the day, and make every moment count with the ones dearest to you. God Bless America!**

**Disclaimer:**

** I own no TMNT, sadly. I also don't own Sports Illustrated. Now on with the show!**

Leonardo's blade slashed through the air as the blue-clad turtle fiercely executed a complex kata with a grim relish. The strike ended abruptly, cold steel glinting inches from the padded mat on the floor, and he jerked the katana to his side to parry the blow of an invisible enemy. Growling in frustration, Leo tried to clear his mind of the events from an hour ago that still harassed him.

_Raphael trudged into the kitchen at noon, stretching his arms above his head and yawning deeply. His baggy eyes barely cracked, he shuffled like a zombie towards the cereal cupboard and blindly groped for the handle. As his fingers closed over the familiar shape, he jerked open the little door and fumbled inside for the Frosted Sugar O's. _

_ "Have a nice rest?"_

_ Suddenly wide-awake, Raph jumped and turned, instinctively reaching for his sais. "Shell, Fearless! Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!" The red-masked turtle forced a casual smile onto his face as he withdrew his hands. "Uh, what's up?"_

_ In response, Leo merely crossed his arms and scowled sourly. "Would you mind telling me where you've been? You were out nearly all night, and you're _just_ waking up – at twelve, I might add."_

While his lethal weapon lashed out with silent precision, Leo's breath hissed out in short gasps; his lungs begged for respite from his prolonged exertion, and his body was slick with sweat.

_Raph's toothy smile immediately melted into a dark scowl that rivaled his brother's. "I don't see how it's any o' yer business, Leo"_

_ The blue-masked turtle raised an eye-ridge patiently as he regarded his brother's nervously twitching fingers. "Would you rather explain yourself to Master Splinter, then?"_

_ Guilt and doubt briefly flitted over Raph's face, but he quickly concealed them behind an abrasive guffaw. "So Splinter Jr. wants ta snitch on me? I guess I ain't surprised." He laughed a second time – a bitter, choked sound._

_ Leo sighed and shook his head. "Raph…you know perfectly well that I don't want to 'snitch' on you," he looked up imploringly, "just tell me what happened."_

Gracefully weaving his katana in a sharp arc, Leo punctuated a final thrust with a low, seething grunt, and then whipped the blade to his side, pointing it at the floor. After sheathing the sword, he respectfully bowed to his imaginary opponent, and crossed the room to grab a towel hanging off the far rack.

_Raph faltered under his brother's disarming gaze. "Well, uh, me an' Case kinda…went out for a little while."_

_ Leo's eyes flashed dangerously; he knew exactly what 'went out' entailed: hunting Purple Dragons, fighting Foot, beating up two-bit criminals…the list went on and on. The fact that gung-ho Casey had gone with his short-tempered brother only increased his sense of foreboding._

_ Leo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his snout, his brow furrowing in displeasure. "Raph, we've already talked about this countless times…"_

_ "Yeah, yeah – can it, Leo. Fer yer information, we weren't even plannin' on gettin' inta a fight for once; we were goin' to the battin' cages. Karai jus'…"_

_ "KARAI?" Leo's eyes snapped open, and he shot Raph a withering glare._

_ "S'okay! S'okay!" Raph held up his hands defensively. "No one got hurt or anythin'…or, at least, not me an' Case anyways. Some o' dem Foot, on the other hand…"_

_ "Raph, that's not the point! You need to practice better judgment; you should have called us for help. You guys could have been hurt. Shell! You could have been _killed_! How did you even end up in a fight with the Foot? I thought you were going to the sports complex." He spoke the last line with a tone of skepticism. _

Once he reached the rack, Leo took a deep swig from his water bottle, and splashed some of the water on his face, neck, and limbs to cool off.

_ "Are you sayin' that ya don't believe me? That me an' Case actually went out and _looked_ for dem Foot creeps?" Raph's beak curved into a snarl as he thrust out his chest threateningly. _

_ "Well, it wouldn't be the first time that you two went out seeking 'justice'." Leo threw back his shoulders to give himself more height._

_ "Fine, then, don't believe yer own _brother_. What do I care? 'Sides, m'not some stupid hatchling that ya need ta nanny, Fearless." _

_ Leo snorted. "You could have fooled me. What were you thinking? Even if you didn't go out _seeking_ a fight, you still took on _Karai _and the _Foot_, Raph – just you and Casey!"_

_ "Yer _point_?" Raphael leaned closer, glaring daggers at his brother._

Snatching a towel, Leo pressed his damp face into the soft fabric. His shoulders sagged dejectedly.

"_My _point_? My _point _is that you _need_ to cool off, hothead! It was irresponsible of you to sneak off with Casey last night against sensei's strict orders; it was irrational of you to engage the Foot – and Karai nonetheless – outnumbered and without calling in for back-up; it was inconsiderate of you to try and hide it from us – from me!"_

_Raph's muscles tightened as they trembled from his furry. "Watch it, Fearless…" he growled softly. _

"_No, Raph, YOU listen to ME." Leo battled to keep his anger and distress in check. "I don't want you to leave the Lair for the next week – no patrols, no pizza runs, no visits with April or Casey. You need to use that time to reflect upon your actions and develop better judgment."_

Leo toweled off furiously, as if removing the sweat and water from his body could remove the bitter memory. He rubbed the towel harder.

_The volcano erupted. "WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT! JUST _WHO _DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"_

_Then, the dam broke. "I'M YOUR _LEADER_, WHICH MEANS I'M OBLIGATED TO KEEP YOU SAFE!"_

"_YEAH? WELL, I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF! I SWEAR, FEARLESS, SOMETIMES YOU – SOMETIMES I – I JUST HATE YA! WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE WHAT I DO? SHOVE OFF!"_

_ Raph rammed into Leo's shoulder as he blew by, ignoring the wounded expression that crumpled his older brother's face. _

_ As the infuriated, red-masked turtle stalked through the doorway in the direction of the rec room, he heard Leo softly whisper from behind, "Why? Isn't it obvious? I don't want to _lose_ my brother…"_

Finished with his rub-down, Leonardo carelessly tossed the towel to the floor and placed a hand on the wall next to him, leaning his forehead against the cool brick, his eyes squeezed shut. Why did every discussion with Raph have to end in a heated argument?

_Leo stood alone in the kitchen for a moment, and then mentally shook himself. Allowing indignant rage to mask the pain inflicted by Raph's words, he launched out the same doorway that his brother had retreated through. Passing through the rec room on his way to the dojo, he glanced over critically as Raph cranked up the volume of the television that he had plopped in front of. _

_Picking up his speed, Leo stormed the remaining distance to the dojo, and flung open the heavy, oak door. With a firm finality, he slammed it shut behind him, growling as the muffled sounds of the TV continued to pierce the walls, making meditation nearly impossible in his already disturbed peace of mind. He glared over his shoulder, but he wasn't about to go back out and face Raph a second time. Seething at the thought of his brother, he quickly drew his katana and intensely executed his katas._

Eyes shut and his head still resting against the wall, Leo exhaled. Feeling slightly more relaxed, he slowly inhaled, and then exhaled again. As he practiced his deep breathing exercises, Leonardo's heart rate slowed to its normal pace, and he gradually became more aware of the silence that enveloped the Lair. _Last I checked, Don was in his lab, and Mikey was entranced by his latest comic book_, he thought. _The television's off, which means Raph probably – against my orders (what a surprise) – took off topside to blow off some steam. Well, good riddance; now I can finally focus on my meditation._

As he turned to cross over to the mats near the far wall of the dojo, Leonardo jumped slightly at the sight of his red-masked brother leaning in the doorway to the rec room – unusually composed, to the blue-clad turtle's surprise. As their eyes met, Leo tried to imagine how long Raph had been standing there watching him.

Leo's eyes narrowed. "I thought you went topside," he said coolly.

Raph frowned vaguely, and shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. Didn't feel like it today." His gaze never left his older brother. Still stretched against the door frame with his arms crossed, he solemnly drank in every feature of Leo, and then he looked down, hiding his face.

In an instant, Leo's brotherly concern won out over his aloof pride. "Hey, Raph, is…is everything okay?" He quickly crossed the room. Raph – his eyes still downcast – tensed at his brother's approach. Leo paused for a moment by the red-clad turtle's side, and then reached out tentatively and grasped Raph's shoulder, ducking his head in an attempt to read his brother's face. "Bro?"

Before he could react, Leonardo found himself roughly pulled into a warm bear hug. Leo's eyes widened slightly as Raph tightened his arms around his brother's shell, resting his chin on Leo's sweaty shoulder. Yet, even more surprising than the hug was what Raph _said_.

"M'sorry, bro…m'real sorry. Back there, I didn't mean any o' that – I was jus' bein' a thick shell-head."

Leo felt his jaw slacken slightly out of shock; Raph wasn't usually the first to apologize, and the few times that he did, he had never sounded this sincere. And hugs?

Realizing that he was awkwardly holding his arms above his head, Leo hesitantly brought them down and enveloped his brother's shell in a reciprocating hug. After a moment of silence, he chuckled. "Okay, who are you, and what did you do with my brother Raphael?"

Raph smirked and unceremoniously broke off the embrace. "Heh, yeah, yeah, real funny, Leo." The red-clad turtle stood back and eyed his brother with an almost…satisfied…expression.

Leo cocked an eye ridge. "What?"

Raph quickly shook himself, and hid once more behind a façade of indifference. "Nothin'. I'll be in my room if ya need me." He lazily punched Leo in the arm and quickly retreated from the dojo, albeit by a lighter step.

Leo stood for a moment in wonder of what had just transpired. After watching Raph leave, he smiled, and followed suit; somehow, he didn't feel the need to meditate anymore.

Passing through the rec room on his way to the shower, Leo saw the television. He paused, and with a small smile, grabbed the remote; he hadn't watched any TV in a while, and he was curious to see what Raph had been watching. After all, _something_ had to have inspired that unexpected hug. He snickered at the thought of Raph taking advice from Oprah or Dr. Phil.

As the monitor flickered to life, Leo sunk onto the couch and waited expectantly. However, when the image finally focused, he froze – his smile wiped from his face. The television was channeled to a news station, and the anchorwoman was presenting an all-day 9/11 special to commemorate the victims of the Twin Tower bombings and the American soldiers currently deployed around the world.

_Today is September 11__th__?_ Leo thought with a pang of remorse. _It's so easy to lose track of time down here…_

"Sir, you have my deepest condolences. Your brother was a brave man to selflessly sacrifice his life for the security of our nation, and it was an honor conducting this interview with you."

Leo refocused on the screen at the word "brother".

The TV depicted a newsroom, and there was a young man – somewhere in his mid-twenties – seated on a couch next to the reporter. He looked worn, his brown eyes dead with sorrow. At the bottom of the television screen, there was a small blurb that read: "Reporter Alice Cawfield Interviews Jake Frisk – Brother Of The Late American Soldier Raymond Frisk." The blurb faded, and was replaced by a second note: "Raymond Frisk Was A Victim Of A Recent Roadside Bombing In Iraq."

His eyes shining from concealed tears, Jake spoke gruffly. "Thank you, Ms. Cawfield. I'm sure Ray would be much obliged to hear your kind words; he always took great pride in serving his country – always said that protecting his loved ones an' defending the innocent was the greatest privilege he had ever known."

Alice smiled gently. "Is there anything else that you would like to tell our viewers before we end this segment?"

Jake appeared to look straight at Leo as he said, "Well, like I said before – family is important. Especially…especially your brothers…because they're not only family, but your best friends. Ray and I never really saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things, including this war, but we'll always be brothers – we'll always be buds. Never take family for granted. Never take anything for granted. Nothings set in stone."

Leo turned off the television. He stared blankly at the black screen, and then stood slowly. This was what Raph had been watching? Feeling oddly like a phantom, detached from his physical body, he ran towards the stairs. In his haste, his feet nearly flew up the steps, and he took a sharp turn around the upper banister. After covering the distance of nearly the entire hallway in a series of bounds, he abruptly halted several strides from Raph's room.

Taking a deep breath as he strode closer, he stretched out a balled fist and knocked softly on the door.

"What?"

Leo shakily smiled at the wood grain. "It's me. Can I come in?"

"Sure, whatevah."

The door timidly creaked open, and Leo shuffled into the room. "Uh, hey, Raph."

Reclined on his bed, Raphael briefly glanced up from his magazine. "Uh, hey."

Leo leaned his shell against the doorframe as Raph had done in the dojo. He smiled. "Um, Raph? I…I never got to tell you that I was sorry. So, I'm sorry, bro."

Putting down the _Sports Illustrated_, Raph threw his legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling between his thighs. He incredulously raised an eye ridge. "What for? Leo, we both know that I was stupid – I shoulda called ya. Shell, I shouldn't o' been out in da first place. You're right. Splintah didn't want me goin' out last night; I shoulda listened."

Leo walked over and sat beside Raph on the bed, assuming the same position as his brother. "Maybe, but I should have taken you for your word earlier; I know you didn't intentionally go out to pick a fight. I also shouldn't have yelled at you. I lost control."

"_You're _apologizin' fer losin' _control_?" Raph smirked. "Fearless, I think yer startin' to confuse the argument. I should be the one apologizin' fer that."

Brown eyes met amber, and Leo smiled sheepishly. "Let's just admit that we were both acting like 'thick shell-heads' and forgive each other."

Raph chuckled. "Sure, Fearless, yer the wise and level-headed leader, after all."

Leo smiled and stood, extending a hand to his brother. Raph grinned in return and took the offered support, hoisting himself to his feet.

"So," Leo gave Raph a sly sideways glance, "It's starting to get dark out – do you want to grab Don and Mike and go out on patrol? You can even call Casey. Maybe we could sneak into the sports complex and try out those batting cages? You know - since you two were a bit too preoccupied last night to hit them."

Raph grinned, reaching for the shell-cell clipped to his belt. "Sounds great, but do we hafta bring Donny? He always puts us all ta shame with a bat. Brainiac says it's got somethin' ta do with monitorin' trajectory, but I think it's just 'cuz he cheats."

"Cheats?" Leo raised an eye-ridge, an amused smirk playing across his face.

"Well, yeah. Da genius swings a giant stick around only every day of his life – it's not fair to da rest of us since we ain't got nearly as much practice."

"Only losers make excuses, Raph!" Donny shouted from across the hallway.

Leo laughed at Raph's surprised scowl and warmly clasped his shoulder. "Come on, bro. Let's go see if you can make Don eat his words."

**Author's Note:**

** Thank you for reading, and a small review would make my day =) **

** This fic is dedicated to all the people – victims, families, and friends alike – who were affected by the World Trade Center bombings. It's also dedicated to the heroes who risked their lives for the safety of others on that day, and let's not forgot the brave men and women in uniform who continue to defend innocence around the world – thank you.**

** I would also like to say that this fic was written particularly to honor my beloved uncle, a new dad (cheers for my new baby cousin), who will soon be deployed to Afghanistan. My prayers go with you, and may God watch over you.**


End file.
